The Department of Defense wants taxpayers to foot a $114 million bill for its “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” programs.
“The FY 2024 President’s Budget request demonstrates the DoD’s commitment to DEIA and includes $114.7 million for dedicated diversity and inclusion activities,” the department’s Strategic Management Plan for fiscal year 2022 to 2026 detailed.
While the specific DEIA programs are unknown, the initiatives will be “aimed at furthering DEIA, and incorporating DEIA values, objectives, and considerations in how we do business and execute our missions.”
House Republicans tried but failed in June to cut off the Pentagon’s DEI agenda. Although the Pentagon’s chief DEI officer claims that programs centered around LGBTQ rights, gender-inclusivity, and critical race theory “[contribute] to our success on the battlefield and beyond,” Republicans said that a strong focus on DEI only hurts the military.
“The Pentagon has diverted its focus from lethality and have instead pushed initiatives that have politicized our war-fighting ranks and harmed our military readiness,” Representative Mike Waltz (R., Fla.) said in June. “[Y]oung Americans don’t want to join what was once a trusted institution that has become overly politicized and hyper-focused on DEI initiatives.”
The Pentagon recently failed its annual audit for the sixth consecutive year, and auditors discovered that half of the department’s nearly $4 trillion in assets cannot be accounted for. Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, said that the department is “working on improving our process.”
Hundreds of auditors conducted 29 sub-audits of the department. Of the 29, the DOD passed seven, failed 18, received a “qualified” rating on one, and has not yet received a grade on the remaining three sub-audits. The department had to pass all sub-audits in order to pass the audit itself.
“The Pentagon receives a trillion in taxpayer funds annually but can’t pass a simple audit,” Representative Barry More (R., Ala.) said on X. “No wonder we’re nearly $34 trillion in debt.”
DOD funding accounts for just under half of U.S. discretionary spending. If its recent request is granted, the DOD will have spent almost $270 million on DEI initiatives from 2022–2024 — $68 million in fiscal year 2022, and $86.5 million in fiscal year 2023.